WO2024256947A1 - Procédé et système de commande d'une installation d'abreuvement pour animaux de laboratoire - Google Patents

Procédé et système de commande d'une installation d'abreuvement pour animaux de laboratoire Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2024256947A1
WO2024256947A1 PCT/IB2024/055650 IB2024055650W WO2024256947A1 WO 2024256947 A1 WO2024256947 A1 WO 2024256947A1 IB 2024055650 W IB2024055650 W IB 2024055650W WO 2024256947 A1 WO2024256947 A1 WO 2024256947A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
value
values
control unit
watering plant
mean
Prior art date
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Ceased
Application number
PCT/IB2024/055650
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English (en)
Inventor
Pietro Bernardini
Carlo Chiorino
Marco Giovanni Antonio BROCCA
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Tecniplast SpA
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Tecniplast SpA
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Publication date
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Priority to EP24738384.7A priority Critical patent/EP4723875A1/fr
Publication of WO2024256947A1 publication Critical patent/WO2024256947A1/fr
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Ceased legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
    • A01K—ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; AVICULTURE; APICULTURE; PISCICULTURE; FISHING; REARING OR BREEDING ANIMALS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NEW BREEDS OF ANIMALS
    • A01K7/00—Watering equipment for stock or game
    • A01K7/02—Automatic devices
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
    • A01K—ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; AVICULTURE; APICULTURE; PISCICULTURE; FISHING; REARING OR BREEDING ANIMALS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NEW BREEDS OF ANIMALS
    • A01K1/00—Housing animals; Equipment therefor
    • A01K1/02—Pigsties; Dog-kennels; Rabbit-hutches or the like
    • A01K1/03—Housing for domestic or laboratory animals
    • A01K1/031—Cages for laboratory animals; Cages for measuring metabolism of animals
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
    • A01K—ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; AVICULTURE; APICULTURE; PISCICULTURE; FISHING; REARING OR BREEDING ANIMALS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NEW BREEDS OF ANIMALS
    • A01K29/00—Other apparatus for animal husbandry
    • A01K29/005—Monitoring or measuring activity

Definitions

  • the present description concerns a method for controlling watering plants, in particular plants for watering laboratory animals housed in suitable laboratory containers.
  • the present description also concerns a system that can carry out this method, an application that implements this method and a plant that comprises this system.
  • the prior art describes a system for controlling watering plants, which system comprises a control unit connected to a flow sensor connected in turn to an inlet duct of a watering plant to transmit signals to the control unit corresponding to liquid flow values in the inlet duct. These signals are processed by the control unit to check whether the flow values exceed a certain threshold value, in which case the system generates an alarm.
  • a technical problem of this known system consists in the limited ability to distinguish between typical consumption and anomalous consumption, so that it may generate alarms even in the absence of a real anomaly in the watering plant.
  • a lowering of the threshold value may cause false alarms, with the consequent risk of compromising the normal functioning of the watering plant, if not even the health of the laboratory animals that are watered by the plant.
  • the object of this description is therefore to provide a system that solves these problems. Said object is achieved with a system, a plant, a method and an application, the main features of which are specified in the attached claims, to be considered an integral part of the present description.
  • the system and method according to the present description allow a watering plant to be controlled more accurately, so as to avoid false alarms, in particular if magneto-inductive sensors are used and/or if a statistical test based on the mean values of liquid consumption in the watering plant is performed.
  • Said statistical test is preferably a Student's t-test which can also use, as a further test parameter, a standard deviation value of a series of liquid consumption values sampled in the watering plant, so as to automatically improve the precision and the reliability of the system and the method.
  • system and the method allow to detect anomalies both in the absence and in the presence of circulation of liquids in the watering plant, as well as to calculate the volume of liquids consumed in the watering plant in an instantaneous and/or cumulative manner.
  • a particular embodiment of the system and/or of the method can also distinguish a normal operating state from a maintenance phase of the system itself, so as to avoid false alarms and/or calculate the volume of liquids consumed during maintenance.
  • the system and method can be easily installed, programmed via a specific application and adapted by a user and preferably comprise a particular alarm procedure, which allows further operations and checks to be performed in the watering plant when an anomaly is detected.
  • figure 1 is an axonometric and partially schematic view of a watering plant comprising embodiments of the system;
  • figure 2 is a flowchart of some steps of embodiments of the method;
  • figure 3 is a flowchart of further steps of the method of figure 2.
  • Figure 1 shows a first embodiment of the system, which comprises a first flow sensor 1 configured to be connected to an inlet duct 2 of a watering plant 3 which comprises one or more fittings 4 which are connected to a distribution duct 5, which is in turn connected to the inlet duct 2, for example via a first auxiliary duct 6, in particular a flexible helical duct.
  • a fitting 4 can in turn be connected to a watering device of a container 7 (shown with dotted lines) for laboratory animals, so that a liquid, in particular water, can flow from the inlet duct 2 to the watering device watering of the container 7 through the distribution duct 5 and the fitting 4 connected to this watering device.
  • the container 7 can be arranged removably in a seat of the watering plant 3.
  • the watering plant 3 comprises a plurality of seats for containers 7 for laboratory animals, arranged in several horizontal rows and/or vertical columns on one or both sides of the distribution duct 5.
  • the inlet duct 2 may comprise a substantially straight portion 2a which extends from top to bottom in the watering plant 3, and/or the distribution duct 5 can have a flat serpentine shape which develops vertically in the watering plant 3, wherein the fittings 4 are connected to substantially straight and substantially horizontal sections of the flat serpentine.
  • the system preferably also comprises a second flow sensor 11 configured to be connected to an outlet duct 8 of the watering plant 3.
  • the outlet duct 8 is connected to the distribution duct 5, for example via a second auxiliary duct 9, in particular a flexible helical duct.
  • the first flow sensor 1 and/or the second flow sensor 11 are arranged along the inlet duct 2 and/or along the outlet duct 8, respectively, and/or comprise(s) a magnetic-inductive flow sensor for liquids, which preferably can also measure the consumption and temperature of liquids, in addition to the flow.
  • the inlet duct 2 can be connected to a supply duct 12, for example via a first valve 13, in particular a solenoid valve arranged along the inlet duct 2.
  • the outlet duct 8 can be connected to a drain 14, for example through a second valve 15, in particular a solenoid valve arranged along the outlet duct 8.
  • Further watering plants 3 can be connected to the supply duct 12 and to the drain 14 and can be provided with further flow sensors 1 , 11 of the present system or of another system according to the present description.
  • the system also comprises a control unit 20 and the flow sensors 1 , 11 are configured to transmit electrical or electromagnetic signals to the control unit 20, for example via connection devices 21 , 22, in particular wireless devices, in so that the control unit 20 can receive from the flow sensors 1 , 11 signals corresponding to inflow values V1 and outflow values V2 relating to the flow of liquid flowing respectively in the inlet duct 2 and in the outlet duct 8 of the watering plant 3.
  • the control unit 20 comprises and/or is connected to input means 23, for example a touchscreen and/or a keyboard, and/or to output means 24, for example a display and/or a printer, and/or to memory means 25, for example a RAM memory and/or a mass storage and/or a cloud storage, and/or to network means 26, for example a LAN network and/or the Internet, and/or to timing means 27, for example an internal clock or an external timer.
  • the control unit 20 further comprises digital processing means, for example a microprocessor, for processing the flow values V1 , V2 received from the flow sensors 1 , 11 , in particular by means of an application configured to be executed by the control unit 20 to implement the method according to the present description.
  • the application can be stored in the memory means 25 and be executed by the control unit 20.
  • the control unit 20 can belong for example to a PC, notebook, tablet, smartphone, server or other digital processor.
  • the control unit 20 can be configured to transmit electrical or electromagnetic signals to the first valve 13 and/or to the second valve 15 via interfaces 28, 29, so that the control unit 20 can send signals S1 , S2 to the first valve 13 and/or to the second valve 15, respectively, to open or close the inlet duct 2 and/or the outlet duct 8, respectively.
  • the present embodiment of the method comprises a control procedure CP where, after a first start-up phase P1 , the control unit 20 acquires from the flow sensors 1 , 11 inflow values V1 and outflow values V2 of the liquids which flow respectively in the inlet duct 1 and in the outlet duct 8 of the watering plant 3, respectively in two phases P2 and P3 which are preferably carried out substantially in parallel.
  • the phase P3, in which the control unit 20 acquires the outflow values V2 from the flow sensor 11 is not carried out if the system does not comprise or does not use the second flow sensor 11 .
  • the control unit 20 processes the inflow value V1 , preferably in combination with the outflow value V2, to obtain a consumption value CV indicative of the consumption of liquids in the watering plant 3.
  • the number n of CVi consumption values to be sampled and the sampling frequency f are preferably set by a user via the input means 23.
  • control unit 20 After sampling the series of n consumption values CVi, in a phase P6 subsequent to the phase P5 the control unit 20 calculates a mean value MV of the series of n consumption values CVi, for example by performing an arithmetic mean of these values.
  • the mean reference value MV' if it has not already been calculated (see below), is preferably set by a user via the input means 23.
  • control unit 20 can also calculate a standard deviation value SDV of the series of n consumption values CVi.
  • control unit 20 carries out a statistical test to verify whether the mean value MV substantially differs from the mean reference value MV', so as to obtain a control statistical value SV.
  • Said statistical test is preferably a Student's t-test which uses, as test parameters, the mean value MV and the mean reference value MV', or the corresponding differential value DV, as well as the standard deviation value SDV, to obtain the control statistical value SV.
  • the control statistical value SV is compared with a reference control value SV', preferably set by a user through the input means 23.
  • the control unit 20 can determine whether the control statistical value SV is greater than the reference control value SV', i.e. whether SV>SV'.
  • the control unit 20 can carry out a phase P12 if the outcome is negative (N), or, alternatively, a phase P13 if the outcome is positive (Y).
  • the positive outcome may therefore correspond to an anomaly found by the control procedure CP in the watering plant 3.
  • control unit 20 calculates a further mean value MV" between the mean value MV and the set mean reference value MV' and replaces this mean reference value MV' with the further mean value MV" obtained through this calculation, so as to set a new mean reference value MV', i.e. MV -MV".
  • control unit 20 can also start an alarm procedure AP configured to signal an anomaly in the watering plant 3.
  • control unit 20 can store in the memory means 25 and/or transmit to the output means 24 and/or to the network means 26 a series of data, in particular a file, which comprise the mean reference value MV' and/or the volume value VV.
  • control unit 20 can restart the control procedure CP starting from the phase P1.
  • a preferred embodiment of the method comprises after the phase P7 a phase P16, in which the mean value MV or the corresponding differential value DV are compared with a limit value LV preferably set by a user through the input means 23. If the mean value MV and/or the corresponding differential value DV is less (Y) than the limit value LV, i.e. MV ⁇ LV and/or DV ⁇ LV, the statistical test of the phase P9 is carried out.
  • the phase P9 is not carried out as the system may be in a transient state of maintenance, in particular a flushing state of the system, so that a phase P17 can be carried out in which a limit volume value LVV of liquid consumed during this limit state is calculated.
  • the limit volume value LVV is calculated by adding the mean value MV to a summation of mean values MV, in particular previously measured mean values MV, and starting cyclically from the phase P1 , until the mean value MV or the corresponding differential value DV is not less than the limit value LV, so that phase P9 is carried out again.
  • the limit volume value LVV can be stored in the memory means 25 and/or transmitted to the output means 24 and/or to the network means 26. Therefore, in this embodiment the statistical test of the phase P9 is carried out or not carried out depending on the result of a comparison of the mean value MV or the differential value DV with the limit value LV.
  • the control unit 20 calculates a cumulative volume value CVV obtained by adding, in a given observation period OT, the volume values VV corresponding to the volumes of liquid consumed by the watering plant 3 in case of anomalous consumption detected in the phase P13 of the control procedure CP.
  • the observation period OT is preferably set by a user via the input means 23.
  • control unit 20 compares the cumulative volume value CVV with a reference volume value CVV' which is preferably set by a user through the input means 23.
  • control unit 20 checks whether the timer has not concluded the observation period OT, i.e. whether t ⁇ OT.
  • a phase P26 subsequent to the phase P24 if the result of both checks performed in the phases P24 and P25 is positive (Y), then the control unit 20 may activate an alarm, in particular by generating an alarm signal, for example a visual and/or acoustic signal emitted by the output means 24 and/or a digital signal transmitted by the network means 26 to other digital units.
  • the control unit 20 may also generate one or more signals S1 and/or S2 to open or close the first valve 13 and/or the second valve 15, or to control other electrical or electronic devices.
  • control unit 20 restarts the alarm procedure AP starting from the phase P21.
  • the lower threshold value CVV1 , the upper threshold value CW2 and/or the additional value CVV3 are preferably set by a user via the input means 23.
  • control unit 20 After updating the cumulative volume value CVV in the phase P29, the control unit 20 goes to the phase P27, i.e. it resets the timer, and from the phase P28 the alarm procedure AP restarts from the phase P21 .
  • a simplified embodiment of the method does not comprise the phase P29, so that the phase P30 is carried out if the outcome of the control of the phase P25 is negative (N). Therefore, the control unit 20 is configured to process the inflow values V1 , preferably in combination with the outflow values V2, in particular through an application implementing the method according to the present description, so as to detect a possible anomaly in the watering plant 3.
  • Variants or additions can be made by those skilled in the art to the embodiments described and illustrated herein while remaining within the scope of the following claims.
  • further embodiments may comprise the technical features of one of the following claims with the addition of one or more technical features described in the specification or illustrated in the drawings, taken individually or in any reciprocal combination and comprising their equivalent features.
  • angles, aspect ratios and values mentioned in the specification and/or shown in the drawings comprise a tolerance of at least 5%, unless otherwise specified.

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  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Environmental Sciences (AREA)
  • Animal Husbandry (AREA)
  • Biodiversity & Conservation Biology (AREA)
  • Zoology (AREA)
  • Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Animal Behavior & Ethology (AREA)
  • Clinical Laboratory Science (AREA)
  • General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Biophysics (AREA)
  • Flow Control (AREA)

Abstract

L'invention concerne un procédé de commande d'une installation d'abreuvement (3) pour animaux de laboratoire au moyen d'un système comprenant une unité de commande (20) et un premier capteur d'écoulement (1) relié à un conduit d'entrée (2) de l'installation d'abreuvement (3) pour transmettre à l'unité de commande (20) des signaux correspondant à des valeurs d'entrée (V1) relatives à l'écoulement de liquide s'écoulant dans le conduit d'entrée (2), ledit procédé consistant à acquérir lesdites valeurs d'entrée (V1) ; échantillonner une série de valeurs de consommation (CVi) qui indiquent la consommation de liquides dans l'installation d'abreuvement (3) et sont obtenues par traitement des valeurs d'entrée acquises (V1) ; calculer une valeur moyenne (MV) de la série de valeurs de consommation (CVi) ; effectuer un test statistique pour vérifier si la valeur moyenne (MV) diffère sensiblement d'une valeur moyenne de référence (MV'), afin d'obtenir une valeur statistique de commande (SV) ; et détecter une éventuelle anomalie dans l'installation d'abreuvement (3) sur la base de la valeur de commande statistique (SV). La présente divulgation concerne également un système qui peut mettre en œuvre ce procédé, une application qui met en œuvre ce procédé et une installation qui comprend ce système.
PCT/IB2024/055650 2023-06-12 2024-06-10 Procédé et système de commande d'une installation d'abreuvement pour animaux de laboratoire Ceased WO2024256947A1 (fr)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP24738384.7A EP4723875A1 (fr) 2023-06-12 2024-06-10 Procédé et système de commande d'une installation d'abreuvement pour animaux de laboratoire

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
IT102023000011943A IT202300011943A1 (it) 2023-06-12 2023-06-12 Sistema, metodo ed applicazione per controllare impianti di abbeveramento
IT102023000011943 2023-06-12

Publications (1)

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WO2024256947A1 true WO2024256947A1 (fr) 2024-12-19

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PCT/IB2024/055650 Ceased WO2024256947A1 (fr) 2023-06-12 2024-06-10 Procédé et système de commande d'une installation d'abreuvement pour animaux de laboratoire

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EP (1) EP4723875A1 (fr)
IT (1) IT202300011943A1 (fr)
WO (1) WO2024256947A1 (fr)

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3228377A (en) * 1963-08-14 1966-01-11 Grassano Vincent Automatic watering system for animals
US4199000A (en) * 1978-07-19 1980-04-22 Edstrom William E Cross-contamination isolator
WO2017080688A1 (fr) * 2015-11-13 2017-05-18 Muinin Teoranta Système d'abreuvage pour animal
CN206776444U (zh) * 2017-06-14 2017-12-22 信阳农林学院 一种畜牧用自动饮水系统

Family Cites Families (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5337696A (en) * 1993-05-10 1994-08-16 Edstrom Industries, Inc. Animal watering system and watering valve usable therewith
CN205691175U (zh) * 2016-06-16 2016-11-16 福建农林大学 用于防止水肥滴灌系统堵塞的自动检测装置
CN206238004U (zh) * 2016-11-17 2017-06-13 厦门塔斯曼生物工程有限公司 一种管式循环无土栽培设备
TR201720201A2 (tr) * 2017-12-12 2019-06-21 Arcelik As Bi̇r bi̇tki̇ yeti̇şti̇rme kabi̇ni̇
CN110178518B (zh) * 2019-07-03 2021-09-28 鄄城县亿碧源节水设备科技有限公司 一种水肥灌溉系统

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3228377A (en) * 1963-08-14 1966-01-11 Grassano Vincent Automatic watering system for animals
US4199000A (en) * 1978-07-19 1980-04-22 Edstrom William E Cross-contamination isolator
WO2017080688A1 (fr) * 2015-11-13 2017-05-18 Muinin Teoranta Système d'abreuvage pour animal
CN206776444U (zh) * 2017-06-14 2017-12-22 信阳农林学院 一种畜牧用自动饮水系统

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IT202300011943A1 (it) 2024-12-12
EP4723875A1 (fr) 2026-04-15

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